Sir Keir Starmer: I trust Donald Trump wants peace in Ukraine

Sir Keir Starmer says he trusts Donald Trump wants lasting peace in Ukraine, and says the UK and France will work with Kyiv to stop the fighting.

The Prime Minister said he will work as the bridge between the US and Ukraine when it comes to peace talks, after Friday’s meeting between the two countries in the White House descended into chaos.

He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street on Saturday, and said the meeting was a “step in the right direction”, adding a coalition of willing European partners needs to join the UK and France in securing peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met in Downing Street on Saturday. | Peter Nicholls/Press Association

Speaking to BBC Sundays with Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Keir said: “I spoke to President Trump, President Zelensky and [French] President Emmanuel Macron yesterday to propose to bridge this and get back to the central focus.

“I took quite a long time with them on the phone and agreed that the UK, along with France and one or two others, will work with Ukraine to plan to stop the fighting.

He said he felt “uncomfortable” watching the meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday evening, adding: “Nobody wants to see that.”

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However he says rather than “ramping up the rhetoric on how outraged we all are”, he was more interested in “rolling up my sleeves and talking to them”.

He said: “I am clear in my mind [President Trump] wants a lasting peace.

President Zelensky and US President Donald Trump’s meeting in the Oval Office on Friday. | Getty Images

“We had extensive discussions on Thursday and I spoke on the phone with him on Friday and Saturday.

“My strong view is he wants a lasting peace, and President Zelensky agrees with him.

“No one wants this conflict to go on, least of all the Ukrainians, and it is not in our national interests.”

In his interview he also said he trusts both President Trump and President Zelensky, but does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister says President Putin has proven he will “come again” if a proper security deal to end the war is not guaranteed.

He said: “You can’t have a deal that falls apart and that’s what Zelensky is worried about.”

Sir Keir added President Zelensky is “rightly concerned” that a proposed deal “has to hold”.

While the Prime Minister said a ceasefire deal is still up for discussion, he said there are three things needed to get lasting peace in Ukraine - a “strong” Ukraine which can fight on if necessary, a European element with security guarantees, and a US backstop.

He said: “I do think Europe has stood up in the last three years with aid, money, training and ability, but we should acknowledge that generally Europe needs to do more for defence and security.

“We need to know what a European security guarantee would look like, and that’s more likely to be a coalition of the willing, the countries in Europe prepared to be a bit more forward-leaning rather than having every single country in Europe which would be slow.

“The UK and France are the most advanced in this thinking which is why President Macron and I are working on this plan and will discuss it with the US.”

Talks between the Ukrainian and US presidents were cut short on Friday after an angry meeting between the two in the Oval Office, forcing President Zelensky to leave without signing a deal to secure US support for Ukraine.

US Vice President JD Vance said: “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American people.”

President Zelensky attempted to object to his point, but President Trump loudly interjected and said: “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.

“You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”

President Zelensky was also accused by the pair of not being thankful, and was told: “He can come back when he is ready for peace.”

Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch was also interviewed on the programme, and said her “heart went out to President Zelensky”.

She said: “I couldn’t believe what was happening, he was being humiliated.

Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch

“You shouldn’t conduct difficult conversations in front of the cameras.

“President Zelensky is a hero who represents the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people.

“Whatever differences we have in our negotiations we need to set that aside when people are watching, because the only person who benefits is President Putin.”

She also wants to get more detail on the security guarantees the Prime Minister is speaking about, particularly on where the money is coming from.

However she hopes the talks the Prime Minister is having today with other European leaders goes well, as it is a “key issue of national interest”.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was also interviewed, and said he was “shocked and appalled” at the scenes coming out of the Oval Office on Friday.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey | Lucy North/Press Association

He praised the Prime Minister for doing a good job in reaching out to President Trump, but says the situation shows the US president is “not as predictable and as reliable as his predecessors”.

Sir Ed added he would support a “coalition of the willing” to find peace in Ukraine, and added that President Trump’s state visit to the UK later this year should focus on getting security guarantees for Ukraine.

During the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington on Thursday, he handed over an invitation from King Charles III for an unprecedented second state visit - no other second term US president has been extended an invitation for a second official visit.

This includes a visit to Scotland earlier in the year to plan to official state visit in more detail.